The overall purpose is to use a more holistic approach in getting past the cycle of poverty in Africa.Â Per Ellen Gustafson (from the Awearness blog)

It's not so much the case that there's a lack of food overall in the world, but it is not distributed equitably. Political instability obviously plays a role. And environmental degradation, including deforestation and a worsening drought/flood cycle, contributes to loss of soil fertility and agricultural productivity in the areas where it's needed most. So with the Millenium Villages, the entity that FEED pairs with, a wholistic approach is taken to address all the factors that keep people food insecure and in extreme poverty. For example, food aid is brought in while local residents work to rehabilitate their soils to grow healthy, bountiful crops. If children are able to eat a good meal at school, they are far more likely to continue their education. And the new FEED Health Backpack is filled with micronutrient supplements for children, malaria tests, first aid kit, family planning supplies, a scale for weighing infants and a growth chart to check the infants' development, among other items.